Cuban (photo, left) has tried and failed to own a baseball team before, falling up short in a bid for the Cubs as well as losing an auction to run the Rangers. Cuban has been linked to purchasing the Los Angeles Dodgers because of his interest in owning a team plus the stature of the Dodgers’ brand. Currently, Frank McCourt is fighting to retain the team after using it as his personal piggy bank, with a well-publicized divorce sapping much of his funds to run the team.

Cuban is afraid the Dodgers are “such a mess” that it wouldn’t be worth the investment to buy the team. Indeed, not only is McCourt scraping money together to meet twice-monthly payrolls, but the team is set up with multiple companies holding different rights to the Dodgers that could create a legal quagmire to work through.

Appearing on TMZ Live Tuesday, Cuban said “if they’re fixable and the deal is right, then I’m very interested.”

It has long been believed that Cuban is being blackballed from baseball due to being an outspoken owner, and baseball likes its owners to toe the line. After the McCourt debacle, however, commissioner Bud Selig may be enticed by Cuban’s clear commitment to winning and investing funds to make it happen. After all, if Cuban is not good for baseball but McCourt was, there’s something wrong going on here.